


The Power That's In(Side)

by DramaticGarbage



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Anxious Thoughts, Gen, Insomnia, LAMPT - Freeform, Lamp - Freeform, Pokemon AU, familial LAMP - Freeform, familial lampt - Freeform, pokemon battling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-20 12:51:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17022972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DramaticGarbage/pseuds/DramaticGarbage
Summary: Pokemon Breeder Thomas decides it's time to send his 4 sons off on their pokemon journey so they can discover thier destinies. What will they find and learn along the way?





	1. 1

Thomas smiled as he loaded up the plates high with the breakfast he had just finished cooking. He sat them down on the table and began placing glasses of his and his son’s preferred beverages around the table before calling upstairs.

“Boys! Breakfast is ready! Come get it while it’s hot!”

Thomas stood quietly, waiting to hear the very distinct sounds of his sons approaching. Barely a moment had passed when he heard the joyously rapid pounding of feet barreling down the stairs. That could only be his energetic eldest son.

“Morning Dad!” Called Patton as he ran into the kitchen full speed and threw his arms around Thomas’s waist. Thomas fondly ruffled his hair as he moved to sit down.

“Mornin’ Pat.”

Next came purposeful, but still rather quick steps down the stairs. He knew when he heard that that younger of the twins was making his way down.

“Good Morning, Father! Good Morning, Patton!” Came Roman’s regal tone of voice as he entered the kitchen.

“Mornin’ Ro.” Thomas smiled and gave Roman a pat on the shoulder as he passed by him to sit in his spot.

Third to approach was the most calm sounding of all thus far. Thomas recognized the even and purposeful sounding steps of his youngest son.

“Good Morning Dad, Roman, and Patton.” Logan said calmly and moved right to his seat.

“Mornin’ Lo.” Thomas chuckled at his strangely formal youngest.

It was completely quiet, with the exception of Patton joyfully crunching on toast, and then Thomas heard it. Not footsteps, but the soft creaking of the upstairs hallway. The elder of the twins moved slowly and quietly, often accidentally startling his brothers with his seemingly instant appearances.

“Mornin’ Virge.” Thomas said, reaching out and ruffling Virgil’s hair a bit as he suddenly appeared in the doorway.

“Morning.” He said quietly, sitting and beginning to move the food around his plate with his fork.

Now that all four boys were seated, Thomas sat down at the head of the table and gently looked over them as he began his breakfast. He was so proud of his boys, they were all so different but they were each perfect in their own way. He was sure that together they would be able to overcome anything they came across. Looking them all over… Patton was happily munching on his breakfast, occasionally glancing around at his brothers to ensure they were eating. Virgil was picking at his food and sitting on the edge of his seat, almost as though he was prepared to jump into action at any moment. Roman was relaxed, dreamily gazing at nothing, obviously off in his own mind coming up with fun ideas that Thomas had no doubt he would share with them sooner rather than later. And finally Logan, focusing solely on the task at hand, systematically consuming his breakfast in the “correct” order, as determined by him. His four boys were his everything… But it was about time he let them figure out what their ‘everything’ was.

“Boys?” Thomas slowly asked, a warm fatherly smile spreading across his face. Instantly there were four pairs of eyes on him, all with very different expressions. “I’ve been thinking about something lately… I think that all of you are finally old enough to set off on your Pokemon journey.” With that, the expressions of his children only intensified. Patton’s joy had become exuberance. Virgil’s mild skepticism had become full blown concern. Roman’s quiet confidence had become a smirk of great boldness. Logan’s mild interest had become intense curiosity.

“I’m getting some mixed responses here, but that’s what I expected. Thoughts?” Thomas chuckled a bit at his very different boys.

“I’m so excited! I can’t wait to go make all kinds of new friends!”

“…the four of /us/ out on our own?”

“This will be completely marvelous! I am ready for adventure!”

“Are the four of us really mature enough for this? And we aren’t correctly prepared to leave.”

“Alright. Those are pretty much the reactions I was expecting.” Thomas chuckled a bit. He needed to address the concerns and he turned to Virgil first. “Virge, I know you four will be ok together. You each have different skills you bring to the table that will prove invaluable.” He then turned to Logan. “I won’t send you out without making sure you are prepared in every way I can. And you are definitely mature enough. You guys are 15, 14, and 11. Many kids begin their journeys at age 10. When traveling together, some can be even younger.”

Thomas once again viewed his sons and their expressions. Roman and Patton were looking at each other, having a silent conversation with only their eyes. They were beyond excited to go and begin their journey. Virgil was staring into his plate, his eyes twitching a bit, probably going through everything that could possibly go wrong. Logan had a knuckle pressed to his chin in contemplation, coming up with potential plans.

“Alright, before any of you either excite or worry yourselves to death, let me tell you a little more of what is going to happen. And why. Your Pokémon journey is where you discover what it is you want to do. What your calling is. Maybe you want to be a Pokemon trainer forever, or a gym leader, or a researcher, maybe a Pokemon police officer… Or even a Pokemon breeder, like me.” Thomas smiled. “It was on my journey that I learned that Pokemon breeding was my calling. I want each of you to go out and find out for yourselves what it is that will make you happy.” He paused, looking them over. Roman and Patton were on board since the moment he had begun speaking. But now even Logan and Virgil looked like they were coming around.

“So. Here is my plan. I want each of you to spend today packing up your backpacks… And researching what Pokemon you want to be the very first Pokemon you ever catch. I will take the four of you to go find your chosen partner and ensure that you get practice catching your very first Pokemon.” Thomas explained.

“How are we to catch our first Pokemon if we do not already possess a Pokemon? You must battle wild Pokemon to catch them.” Logan pointed out, confused.

“Very valid point, Lo. That is why…” Thomas smiled, knowing Logan would be the one to bring up the point at hand. He stood from the table and grabbed a basket that was concealed from his sons’ view until that point. He removed a small towel from the top so the contents were no longer obscured and then held the basket out for them all to see.

Within were four Pokeballs that were each a different color. One light blue, one purple, one golden, and one dark blue.

“These are for you.” Thomas smiled as each of them reached out and gently took the Pokeball that was their color. “Now let’s go outside and let them out, shall we?”

Even his two less energetic sons seemed greatly excited to meet the Pokemon that they had been gifted, and all four boys scrambled out of their seats to head outside. They lined up and all pointed their color coded Pokeball at the ground, ready to summon their Pokemon. They looked expectantly up at their father and he just nodded back to them with a smile. They stood a moment before Roman spoke up.

“…Pokemon! Come on out!” A red beam of light spilled out of his golden ball and became an Eevee on the ground before him. He seemed spunky and confident, looking up into Roman’s eyes.

“Come here little friend!” Patton called. His Pokemon was also an Eevee, but she seemed much more joyful and carefree. Patton knelt down and the loving Pokemon instantly leapt into his arms.

“Pokemon, come out?” Virgil said softly. His Eevee was a bit more timid, but as he looked around he seemed to decide that Virgil was the safest option and slowly made his way to swirl himself around the anxious teen’s ankles.

“Pokemon. Come out.” Logan watched as his Eevee appeared. She gazed up at him with a cool intelligence in her eyes.

Thomas watched with pride as his four boys met their Pokemon. Patton and his happy Eevee were snuggling and playing, rolling around a bit in the grass. Roman was cooing over how beautiful and spectacular his Eevee was, the Pokemon just eating up the compliments. Virgil had sat down and was holding the Eevee gently against his chest, slowly petting him. It seemed they both were having a calming effect on each other. Logan had lifted his Eevee up and was looking her over, the Eevee doing things like lifting her paws and twitching her ears to allow Logan to study her.

“Alright, why don’t you all take your new partners up to your rooms and start working on that research and packing. I want to leave bright and early tomorrow.” Thomas spoke up, the four seemingly having forgotten their father was there.

“Oh right! Let’s go little buddy!” Patton stood and scooped up his Eevee, giving his dad a hug on the way inside. “Thanks so much dad! I promise me and Eevee will be best friends!”

“Yes! Spectacular!” Roman led the Eevee inside. “Thank you so much, Dad. I can’t wait to discover our calling!”

“I look forward to researching what Pokemon would best suit me and Eevee. Thank you Father.” Logan added, a smile on his face as he walked up. He had already found his Eevee liked to perch on his shoulder, as she seemed to enjoy the vantage point.

“…Thanks, Dad.” Virgil smiled his shy half smile and it spoke more than words ever could. His Eevee was held securely in his arms, but not too tightly, as he went up to his room.

Thomas spent the rest of the day preparing essentials for their trip, only going up to check on his boys when he later brought up some lunch. He found Logan diligently researching with his Eevee still perched on his shoulder, looking over all Logan researched. Roman figured out his chosen Pokemon relatively quickly and was now playing with his Eevee, the two of them dancing and putting on a performance for an obviously adoring, yet invisible, audience. Patton seemed to be half researching, half cuddling with his Eevee. And finally Virgil was a bit stressed from his research not turning up much, but he had Eevee in his lap and was gently petting him to calm himself. This was pretty normal for his boys, so he left them to it.

They eventually all came down for dinner, Thomas having laid out some food for their new companions and allowing them each time to talk about their findings. All of the boys had decided on their partners, except for Virgil. He deflected the question saying he was just narrowing it down and he would have his decision before bed. They once again all retreated to their rooms to work on packing.

It had gotten rather late and Patton, being the caring eldest brother that he was, decided to go check on his brothers. Logan had gone to bed like the responsible child he always proved to be, and Roman had fallen asleep with his Eevee in the middle of their playing. As Patton crept to Virgil’s door he could hear the brother who was closest to him in age quietly crying to himself. He seemed upset that he hadn’t found a single Pokemon that he felt suited him. Patton’s heart ached for his anxious brother and he snuck back to his own room.

It took Patton about an hour before he found it. The perfect partner for Virgil. He wrote a note on a piece of paper and crept back towards his brother’s room, knocking once and shoving the page under the door before sneaking back to his room as fast as he could. Virgil found the note and unfolded it, rushing back to his computer to look up the name of the Pokemon that had been written on the scrap of paper. A small smile crept across his face as he slowly rose from his desk and made his way to his bed, a huge weight lifted off his shoulders.

—

The next morning found all four boys awake bright and early. Patton and Roman out of excitement, Logan because he set an alarm to give himself time to recheck all he had prepared, and Virgil because, well, he was an insomniac. Thomas came down the stairs, a large backpack on his back, and found his sons chattering a bit about the adventure they had to come. Of course Patton and Roman were fantasizing about the marvelous journey they were about to embark on, while Logan seemed to be gently explaining to Virgil some of the reasons he shouldn’t need to feel nervous. Virgil may have been older than Logan by three years, but you wouldn’t have guessed that it wasn’t actually the other way around when it came to Logan’s expertise in quelling many of the anxious teen’s more disturbing thoughts. The calm demeanor of the younger boy, coupled with his ability to look at and explain things so objectively, did wonders for Virgil’s mental state when he was starting to feel overwhelmed or nervous.   
  
Thomas couldn’t help but look over his boys proudly, confident that they were ready for this.

“Alright boys, let’s get going!” Thomas said excitedly, leading them all outside and locking the door to the house behind them. He reached for his belt and grabbed three pokeballs, aiming them forward and summoning the creatures within. Before them appeared a Pigeot, Unfezant, and Staraptor. “Ro, Lo, you two take Unfezant. Pat, Virge, you two on Staraptor.” Thomas instructed, moving to softly stroke their beaks and giving them a loving scratch on the head. “Protect my boys, alright you two?” He smiled, moving to climb onto Pigeot.

They all climbed aboard with Logan sitting in front of Roman, not wanting the smaller boy to slip off during the flight, and Virgil sitting in front of Patton, so the more anxious boy felt more secure. They all took off into the sky, watching as their home grew smaller and they sped off toward their destination. It wasn’t too far of a flight, the two Pokemon carrying the boys dutifully following after Thomas aboard Pigeot, all three of the large birds touching down in front of an impressive sanctuary. They all dismounted, Thomas thanking each Pokemon and giving them all a treat before calling them each to return to their pokeballs and turning to look over his sons.

“Alright boys, this is the Safari Zone. Within it are different areas suited to just about every type of Pokemon imaginable. Even if you all chose Pokemon from all across the world, just about every one of them will live somewhere in this massive enclosure. Normally you aren’t supposed to bring in your own Pokemon to do catching in one of these enclosures, but they allow first time trainers to get a feel for catching and training. Let’s head inside.” He explained, gesturing to the entrance to the large front building.

The four boys just nodded, following behind their father as he led them all inside. Thomas paid their entry fee and was given a map of the sanctuary before a large set of doors opened before them. They all stepped through, Thomas unfolding the large map to let them all look over it and see what areas of the sanctuary they’d need to visit. There was a small rustling in the bushes that nearly none of them noticed, too distracted reading the information of the map.

“Oh! The Pokemon I want is over here! In area two!” Roman said excitedly, pointing out the spot on the map.

“The one I am here for is located in area three.” Logan added, also gesturing to the map.

“Mine is in area three too!” Patton smiled wide, pointing as well.

A silence fell over them, waiting to hear the fourth voice chime in, but it never did. They all turned to see that the spot where Virgil was standing was now empty. He had disappeared without a trace. The three boys looked up at Thomas who thought it over for a moment, this was a very Virgil thing to do. His anxious son tended to do things in his own way.. And often times, it turned out to be what was best for him. So Thomas decided to simply reach to his belt and grab a pokeball, summoning another Pokemon.

A chameleon like creature appeared, looking up at Thomas. “Kecleon, go find and keep an eye on Virgil, alright? Keep him safe.” He instructed, the Pokemon giving a small salute before becoming completely invisible. Thomas just turned back to his remaining three sons and the map. “Alright, looks like Roman is up first then. Let’s get going to area two.” He smiled, gesturing to the path they needed to take.

“Yes! Let us go on!” Roman agreed with gusto, leading his father and two brothers down the path. Thomas had a bit of a bemused smile on his face at Roman’s usual antics, but just nodded to Patton and Logan and the three of them followed after him.

It didn’t take too much searching through area two before Roman found the small black lion cub Pokemon he was looking for. Upon seeing it, he pulled out his pokeball, summoning his Eevee.

“Eevee, come on out!” He called, watching as his small and eager Pokemon appeared before him. “Litleo! I challenge you to a duel to prove I am a suitable trainer for you! Do you accept?”

The small fire Pokemon looked up to see young Roman and his Eevee, looking slightly confused for a moment, but bounding over and striking up a fighting stance before them.

“Excellent!” Roman called, looking back to Eevee. “Alright Eevee, let’s show them all what we’ve got! Use tackle!” He instructed, pointing to the Litleo.

Eevee sped forward, jumping and throwing his body into the Litleo, the two small Pokemon tumbling a bit to the ground with the force. Behind them, Thomas pressed his fingertips to his mouth to hold in a small chuckle. Being a Pokemon breeder he could easily recognize the inexperience of both Pokemon and knew this duel would honestly be rather good for both of the young creatures to learn. The Litleo popped back up, using a weak fire attack against Eevee, causing the canine type Pokemon to shrink back a bit at the flame.

“You’re alright Eevee! Use scratch!” Roman called, seeing how Eevee tried to avoid the fire.

Eevee jumped forward once more and batted at the Litleo, the small cat once again tumbling to the floor. Litleo popped up after a moment and scratched back at Eevee, the two of them ending up falling into a rhythm of just scratching back and forth at each other until they both were breathing heavily.

Roman watched on, proud that his Eevee had taken initiative to continue battling on his own. Roman reached into his backpack and pulled out a new pokeball, holding it out. “Litleo! Have we earned your companionship? Would you like to join us?” He called, throwing the pokeball at the lion cub. Litleo looked up, watching the pokeball approaching and leapt up toward it, letting the red light take it inside. The ball fell to the ground next to Eevee who watched on with curiosity as it shook a few times before stilling completely, signifying the Pokemon within had accepted the pokeball as it’s own. “I did it!” Roman smiled, rushing forward to pick up the pokeball before running back to show his dad and two brothers.

Thomas was beyond bemused, he had never seen someone battle with the level of theatrics that his son did… But none the less, he had accomplished his task. “You sure did, Ro! I’m proud of you!” Thomas smiled, reaching forward to ruffle his son’s hair. Roman just looked up at his father, his young face completely lit up before he sunk directly to the ground and started to rustle through his backpack, looking for something.

Roman ended up pulling out two bottles of potion, a small towel, and a brush. He summoned his new Litleo, who just looked up at him and let out a happy mew before leaping into his lap. Eevee also bounded over, the two Pokemon happily sitting with their trainer on the ground.

“You two did amazing! And welcome to the team, Litleo! Let’s get you two cleaned up!” Roman said, spraying the potion on the towel and rubbing it over Litleo first, making sure she was all healed up before using the other potion and doing the same for Eevee. Once they were both taken care of, he brushed both of them out, making sure their coats were untangled and shiny. “Alright, you two look marvelous! Back in the pokeballs to rest, ok? I’ll see you soon!” He called as he stood and returned them each to their designated ball, looking back up at Thomas once he was ready.

Thomas was so proud of him, taking the time to take good care of his Pokemon. He smiled back at his son before the four of them set off again, heading to the next area. Area three was one of the largest, spanning some of the more uncommon types. Near the front was an area of very short soft grass, suited for some of the Pokemon most commonly referred to as ‘baby Pokemon.’ This was where Patton wanted to go, so his father and two younger brothers hung back, watching as Patton slowly and gently began to walk through the grass. His eyes traced around everywhere he could see, looking around until he saw a little pink face pop out from behind a small bush.

Patton’s eyes immediately lit up and he reached for his bag but, unlike his brother, he didn’t grab a pokeball at all. The happy teenager instead reached for a small plastic container and settled down in the grass. He opened it up and showed the small pink Pokemon what he had, a collection of home made Pokemon treats, known as Pokepuffs. He chose a small pink one and held it out toward the Pokemon before him.

“Hello little friend, are you hungry? Would you like a Pokepuff? I made them myself.” Patton cooed softly, trying not to frighten the small creature.

The Happiny slowly came out from behind its hiding spot, looking over Patton for a few moments before it smiled wide and ran on its tiny pink legs up to Patton and cheerfully took the Pokepuff, settling next to him to eat it.

“I hope you like it! And I have more if you are still hungry!” He said happily, looking down at her munching away on the treat. “Oh! Would you like to meet my friend Eevee?” Patton asked, pulling out his pokeball and summoning his Eevee, the cheerful canine also settling near them and Patton handing over a Pokepuff for her as well. Patton sat, watching the two Pokemon eat his prepared snacks, turning back to Happiny as she finished her snack. “Happiny, do you want to come with Eevee and I on our adventure? I think we will make the best of friends!” He said, reaching to his bag to pull out an empty pokeball.

The small pink pokemon looked up at Patton for a few moments before nodding and popping up into his lap and giving him a hug, which only caused Patton to light up even more before hugging her back softly. Once they pulled away, he took the pokeball and softly tapped her with it, the red light pulling her inside. He also returned Eevee to her ball before putting the Pokepuff case back in his bag and moving back to his family.

“I did it!” He said happily, showing them all the pokeball that held his new friend, Happiny.

Roman was fairly thrown off, not having known Pokemon could be caught in this way. Logan seemed confused but interested, making a mental note to write down his observations on his brother’s catching technique at the next opportunity he had. And Thomas just had his bemused smile back on his face, not having expected what Patton had done, but it didn’t surprise in the least when he considered the type of person that his eldest son was.   
  
With that they moved on once more, traveling deeper into the area and through the tall grass, pausing in a clearing lined with trees. Logan had his notebook out and was jotting notes and observations as they walked, but something caught his attention from the corner of his eye.

“Wait.” He said softly, his dad and older brothers pausing to turn and see why he wanted them to stop. But Logan had already turned and walked a few paces toward the tree line, looking intently between the thick trunks. As the others peered to find what it was that Logan could see, they slowly became aware of a small white and green Pokemon, looking back inquisitively at the young bespectacled trainer. Logan was still several yards back from the small Pokemon, looking up at her for a moment before looking back down at his notebook to keep writing.

The Ralts seemed confused by his actions. He wasn’t trying to catch her or coax her out… He was just looking at her and taking notes. The small psychic type moved a bit closer to Logan every time he looked down to write, him not noticing she had done so until he looked up again. It wasn’t until she was only about a foot away that Logan knelt down to look over her more closely. This was nothing like the Ralts had ever observed before, living in the Safari Zone. This trainer was interesting.

Logan continued his notation a bit longer, even making a note that the Ralts seemed to also be studying him, before he stood back up straight and moved to place his notebook back in his backpack, grabbing a new pokeball in the process. The small Pokemon continued to watch, observing his actions. Logan raised an eyebrow and simply tossed the pokeball down at Ralts which was easily pulled inside. The ball twitched a moment before stilling so Logan could bend over to scoop it up and place it on his belt. He turned around to return to his family, not saying a word. Roman was even more surprised at how Logan caught his Pokemon than he was at how Patton had managed to get his, just looking completely flabbergast at his youngest brother.  
  
Once again, Thomas was just bemused, looking over Logan with a chuckle on his lips as the four of them set off back towards the entrance to see if Virgil was waiting for them or if they’d have to go on a search for the missing teen. Along their way back, they were actually somewhat surprised to see Virgil walking right toward them, Kecleon leading him along the path. Thomas smiled happily as the shape of his second eldest drew nearer, about to ask him if he had been successful in his Pokemon escapade when he noticed that held securely in the emo teen’s arms was a small Pokemon dressed in a ragged disguise.

“How did it go, Virgil? It seems you have found yourself a friend.” Thomas asked, smiling at him as they all came back together.

Virgil was relatively quiet but he smiled softly. “…Good. This is Mimikyu.” He responded softly, the strange Pokemon huddled against Virgil, eyeing the rest of them warily. Roman looked slightly confused by the Pokemon that his twin had caught, while Logan looked fascinated by the fact that the Pokemon was clearly in some sort of disguise to hide it’s true form. But Patton and Thomas just looked on with smiles, happy that Virgil had found a partner he felt a connection with.

And with that, the five of them made their way back to the entrance of the Safari Zone, Thomas leading his sons out, ecstatic that each of them had caught their first partners and each seemed happy. Of course in their own very different ways. They walked all together, talking and laughing as they followed a path down toward a very large building up ahead. It wasn’t until they had just about reached it that the boys realized what it was. A mall.

Thomas turned to his sons, pulling off his own backpack and reaching inside it. He pulled out a small red device and a wallet, handing both to Logan. “Alright Lo, i’m putting you in charge of the Pokedex and most of the money. I know you’ll be responsible enough to take care of both.” He smiled, looking at his youngest. He just nodded, moving to put the items into his pack. Thomas then grabbed four smaller money pouches and handed one to each of them. “Alright, here’s some extra spending money for the mall. I want you to go in and get any last things you want before you head out for real. Logan has the rest of the money, but each of you keep at least a little on you, ok?” Thomas said, looking over his boys who gave more collective nods.

He stood before them, surveying them a moment before letting out a small sigh with a soft smile. He knew they were ready. He knew they could do this. It was time.. To let them go.

“Alright boys, this is it. You are going to begin your journey together starting right now. Look out for each other, you’re all in this together. As long as you have each other, I know you can all face any obstacle that comes your way.” He knelt down, turning first to Patton.

“Patton, you’re the oldest, so it’s your job to protect your brothers.. But it’s their job to protect you too. Remember that everyone needs help sometimes, and don’t be afraid to turn to them in those times. Just like how they know they can turn to you.” He pulled Patton into a hug before moving to Virgil.

“Virgil, the world can be scary, so do your best to keep your brothers safe. But remember that it’s okay to be scared because fighting through that is what makes someone brave. You are so much braver than you realize, and you get more and more brave each day. Use that to protect them.” He gave Virgil a hug as well, then moved to Roman.

“Roman, the world can get dark sometimes, keep your brothers from getting jaded. You know how to keep their spirits high and their morale up. Keep the fun alive, keep their attitudes upbeat. But know when it’s time to be serious.” He gave Roman a hug before finally turning to Logan.

“Logan, …Don’t let them be stupid.”

“Hey! We heard that!” Interjections came from the other three, causing Logan to break into one of his rare grins and Thomas to chuckle lightly.

“You’re the youngest, but you’ve always been wise beyond your years. Help your brothers make good choices. They’re a bit impulsive, so they might not always listen, but remember to try and to help them. Be the calm in the storm, but don’t be afraid to take chances just because there’s some logic saying it might not work out.” He pulled his youngest into a hug before standing back up and gesturing to the mall before them.

“You all know where I’ll be if you need me. …Go out and find your destinies, boys. I can’t wait to see what you all become.” Thomas waved, watching as his sons made their final goodbyes and the four of them walked away, entering the double doors to the mall and disappearing from their father’s sight.


	2. 2

The four of them entered the large building, the doors shutting behind them and the sound of them closing really driving home that this was the start of their journey. Virgil was, of course, apprehensive but he didn’t say anything. He still held his Mimikyu in his arms for comfort but his Eevee, along with all of his brother’s Pokemon, was safely in a pokeball.

They all surveyed the area around them, Logan noticing a large directory of the mall and walking up to it, his brothers following along behind him. They took a moment to look it over, each noting the location of different shops that they wanted to go check out. Logan turned around and looked up at them, thinking over the most efficient way for them to go about making sure everyone was able to accomplish what they wanted. He glanced back at the large directory and pointed to the exit on the opposite side of the mall.

“There is a Malasada shop near the north exit of the mall, perhaps we can split up for now and meet there when we have each finished our individual shopping?” He suggested to his brothers, hearing sounds of agreement from the twins who both took off in opposite directions before he felt a soft hand on his shoulder.

“Good plan, Logan. Be safe alright? I’ll see you soon.” Patton smiled and softly ruffled his youngest brother’s hair before walking away in yet another direction. Logan pushed his shoulders back slightly, nodding at his older brother’s back before he also walked away, head held high.

Roman had strolled off with purpose, it not taking long at all with his grand strides before he arrived at his destination. He looked up at the shop he was standing in front of, smiling and reaching to his belt to grab his Eevee’s golden pokeball and summon his spunky Pokemon, happily looking down at him as he appeared. The regal teenager sat down on the floor and leaned against the wall of the storefront, opening his arms to invite his Pokemon into his lap. Eevee seemed slightly confused, but he happily bounded forward, looking up at his trainer.

Roman gave his Eevee a small scratch atop the head, looking down before glancing back at the store they were leaning against. “Eevee, do you know much about how Pokemon evolve? Eevees in particular?” Roman asked softly, looking down at him. The Eevee seemed confused, looking back at him and tilting his head to the side.

“Eevees can involve into all sorts of different Pokemon. But.. It’s up to the trainer and what the trainer does that determines which it will be. I was looking into how it all works… And I don’t really like it.” Roman explained, causing the Eevee’s expression to look a bit concerned. “No, no. It’s not anything to do with you. What i’m saying is… You are your own being, Eevee. It isn’t right that I determine your destiny. You should get to decide what it is you want to be. My dad sent my brothers and me on this quest to decide who we will become… What our destinies are. But.. It’s not fair that you don’t get to do the same. I want you to decide what you want to become and when you want to become it.” He explained, reaching into his backpack and pulling out some pictures and information he had gathered.

Roman laid out the information on the floor, showing the Eevee all of what he had researched. “There are more evolutions than these… But these we can get you an Evolution Stone for, and you can pick exactly what you want to become.” He laid out the pictures of the three Pokemon that the Eevee could become by choosing a stone. Eevee looked over the three images, listening as Roman described the different types they were. Thinking back to his battle with Litleo, Eevee immediately pushed away the image of the fire-type and focused on the other two. It took a moment of looking over the two pictures before jumping on top of one of the pages, patting on the picture of the electric-type with his feet.   
  
Roman smiled, nodding down at him and starting to gather up the pages he had placed around them. “I think that would suit you perfectly. Come on, let’s get you that stone.” He smiled, moving to pull Eevee into his arms before standing up and taking him inside the shop the were infront of, the one that specialized in Evolution Stones.

The stones were all in cases, more than likely so no Pokemon could accidentally touch one and evolve. The shopkeeper looked up at Roman, smiling warmly at him and his Eevee.

“Well hello there, young man! Are you looking for an Evolution Stone for your adorable little Eevee there?” The older woman asked, her eyes warm.

“Yes, Ma’am! I’m looking for a Thunder Stone please! But I also need an Everstone.” He nodded, looking down into the case.

“That’s no problem at all, young man. Is the Everstone also for your Eevee?” She asked, looking at the Pokemon in his arms.

“Yes, Ma’am. I’m getting the Thunder Stone for later.” He nodded.

“Alright, let me see if I have a small one, easier for your little friend there to hold on to.” She nodded, moving to look through the case and finding a relatively small stone and holding it out to show them. It was round, gray, and slightly shiny.

“That is perfect, thank you!” He smiled, reaching out to take the Everstone.

“I’ll put your Thunder Stone in a box, that way you shouldn’t have any accidents.” She smiled, reaching into the case and pulling out what looked more like a yellow crystal than a stone. She turned and grabbed a nice box, nestling the stone in safely before also placing it on the countertop. Roman reached into his pocket and pulled out the money his father had given him, paying the kind woman and leaving the shop.

He slid the box containing the Thunder Stone into his backpack and turned to look down at Eevee. “As soon as you want it, just let me know. It’s up to you.” He smiled, squeezing Eevee in closer for a moment before looking down at the Everstone he still held in his hand. “I got this so you don’t accidentally evolve before you are ready. But how are you supposed to hold it?” He cocked his head to the side and began walking toward another directory, looking over the map once more. He scanned a few moments before his eyes lit up and he took off once again, deciding to put Eevee back in his pokeball for the time being.

He walked off toward his new destination, seeing a small crowd gathered around something as he went. Out of natural curiousity, he wandered over to see that someone had placed a large cardboard box full of all sorts of Pokemon near a corner in the mall. Written across the front was a simple scrawled message “Free to Good Home.” This was a bit unorthodox, he had never heard of anyone doing anything like this before.

Upon further inspection he realized that the several Pokemon before him, and the crowd of onlookers, were all dog Pokemon. Within the box he spotted a gorgeous poodle looking Pokemon, one he had only ever seen on television in grooming competitions and fashion shows. He couldn’t help himself.

“Furfrou! Would you like to come with me?” He asked, his smile wide. The dog looked over at Roman, quickly deciding to leap from the box toward him, sniffing him slightly before letting out a small happy-sounding bark that seemed to say yes. Roman pulled out another pokeball, using it to catch the poodle Pokemon before smiling and adding the ball to his belt. He made a mental note to stop by the grooming supply once he finished at the jeweler he was walking toward, and continued on his way.

Patton had headed straight to the camping supply, grabbing extra necessities and things he thought they could use on their journey. He had been sure to stock up on extra food and snacks, shiny and colorful canteens for himself and each of his brothers, a drying frying pan, extra fire starter, and anything else he came across that he thought they could use. Patton spent a good amount of time and a fair amount of his money, but he was definitely happy with his purchases. His backpack was undoubtedly a good bit heavier, but it was manageable.

He made his way out of the shop, planning on just heading to the meet up point when he heard a small commotion and turned to see a few people crowded around something on the ground. He walked up to discover someone had left a fair few Pokemon that were being given away, and it seemed that there were still a good amount left! Patton walked up and looked over all the adorable puppy Pokemon, one in particular catching his eye.

Patton knelt down, smiling softly at the tiny dog Pokemon and holding out a hand toward it. “Lillipup? Would you like to come with me and be one of my friends?” He said gently. The puppy-looking Pokemon only took a moment to look up at the adorable teen before he made a small yip sound and jumped right at him, Patton catching him in both hands and held him happily to his chest for a gentle hug, giggling all the while.   
  
They stayed there for several moments before he pulled out a Pokeball and caught the small Yorkie lookalike, happily adding his ball to his belt. He stood back up, deciding to go make sure they had enough Pokemon supplies before he met up with his brothers and headed off toward another shop.

Logan had every confidence that his brothers would prepare for their journey in the best way they could, and would more than likely prepare for the most probable situations. Patton had been basically like a second Dad to them since Logan could remember, always making sure they were eating and taking care of themselves, as well as doing anything he could to support them emotionally. So he knew his eldest brother would have thought to ensure they’d have plenty to eat and probably prepare multiple comforting items. While his anxious second eldest brother was often over cautious, he knew Virgil looked at things nearly as objectively as he, himself, did a good majority of the time. Virgil was the type that prepared more for the absolute worst case scenario, so Logan was sure he would have those situations handled. And while it wasn’t exactly correct to say Logan had the least faith in the brother closest to him in age, he and Roman had a tendency not to see eye to eye. But Logan knew there was no one else you wanted to have watching your back when you were in a tight spot than Roman. His methods seemed unorthodox, and occasionally downright strange and silly, but they somehow tended to be exactly what was needed when he was called upon. Knowing all of this, Logan took it upon himself to focus his concerns differently, to try and prepare for things his brothers wouldn’t likely imagine.

Logan had spotted an information center on the directory, heading off that way to try and see what he could learn about the area they were going to be traveling through. When he arrived, the attendant seemed to be away, but there were plenty of guide books left out for travelers to use for research in the absence of said attendant. Which was a situation that suited Logan just fine. He grabbed one of the hearty tomes and opened it up, skimming through information about the area they were in and what they should expect to encounter once they left the mall.

After reading for a while, he had learned about the terrain, weather patterns, and the most commonly encountered wild Pokemon along the route they’d be heading down. As it turned out, they would be walking along a large dense forest which was known to house numerous ghost and dark type Pokemon. These types of Pokemon had a tendency to jump out and frighten trainers, as well as having a reputation for being very mischievous. Logan researched a bit more into these types and what could be done to prevent them being caught off guard, eventually deciding to head to a general shop to pick up a few more specific things and a detailed map of the area.

Once he had picked up his items, he ended up right by the Malasada shop and saw that none of his brothers had arrived there yet. He decided to do a lap around the perimeter of the mall to see if he would run into any of them before he settled at the eatery to await them. Along his path, he also discovered the box of Pokemon, nearly deserted of people and very few creatures left in the box. He pulled out his Pokedex, looking over the remaining dog Pokemon and learning more about each before leaning down to look at them more closely.

“…Riolu. I have not encountered any Pokemon like you before, would you like to join me? I’d enjoy learning more about you, and your typing is unlike any I have thus far.” Logan said, looking at the small black and blue dog before him. The fighting type seemed confused by the small bespectacled one, but essentially shrugged and hopped out of the box, standing before Logan and giving him a nod before Logan reached for a pokeball and captured him before simply continuing on his way.

Virgil, still holding his Mimikyu securely in his arms, had walked off to a slightly far shop, his slow walking pace causing him to take a bit of time to actually arrive there. As he entered, he looked all around him to survey the shop and its contents. Slightly timidly, he approached the counter, making almost no sound, and accidentally startling the shopkeeper who definitely hadn’t been expecting there to suddenly be a darkly dressed teen holding a relatively frightening Pokemon standing at his countertop.

“Oh! Uh.. Sorry! I didn’t hear you come in. Umm.. Welcome to the Specialty Pokeball Shop, are you looking for anything in particular?” He asked, trying not to seem too startled.

Virgil glanced down at the Mimikyu in his arms a moment before he looked back up at the shop owner. “I’d like to buy some Luxury Balls please.” He said softly.

The shopkeeper smiled, moving to the case which contained the black pokeballs, adorned with a stripe of red and gold. “Excellent choice. These are supposed to be the most comfortable pokeball for your Pokemon. I’m sure they will all appreciate it.” He passed a few over to the teen after seeing how many he could afford, giving him a slight discount so he could get a couple extra and not leave the shop with no money left over. Virgil gave him a small appreciative smile and took them before turning and leaving the shop as quickly and quietly as he had arrived.

Virgil walked to a quiet corner of the mall before placing Mimikyu down on the floor and kneeling down to talk to him softly. “I’m sorry about not catching you before… But I wanted to get you something I thought you’d like better. I’d like to do it now, if you’re ready.” He explained, holding out one of the Luxury Balls.

Mimikyu looked up at Virgil, happily crinkling his eyes under his disguise and just scooting forward and bumping himself against the ball, letting it pull him within it. As the ball stilled in Virgil’s hand he added it to his belt and stood back up, smiling to himself and walking off toward another shop he wanted to visit.

As the darkly dressed teen walked along, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Off on the side, in a completely deserted corner, was a cardboard box with a message scrawled across it that he couldn’t quite read. Seeing as no one was around, he carefully made his way to the box, seeing the message and understanding what must have been in the large box. He turned to walk away when he heard a very quiet sound, causing him to spin back toward the box instead of moving away from it. Virgil slowly made his way over, peering into the box with the intention of confirming his assumption that it was, in fact, empty.

He was wrong. Huddled in a corner of the box was a single Pokemon, a black dog with two large white bone-looking stripes across it’s back. It seemed this one had been left when all the other’s had been chosen. One final Pokemon that hadn’t been selected by any of the people who had been through. Virgil crouched down, his expression soft.

“…Houndour?” He said softly, causing the Pokemon to turn and look up at him with slightly sad eyes. She perked up a bit, seeing the more darkly dressed boy before her. She rose to her feet and cautiously walked forward, getting closer to Virgil and sniffing him a bit. “…Would you like to come with me? We can keep each other company.” He smiled softly, watching her approach. The dark Pokemon perked up even more, popping up onto her hind legs and giving Virgil a soft lick on the cheek before jumping up to stand beside him, leaning her body into him a bit.

Virgil reached down to softly scratch her behind the ear before pulling out one of his new Luxury Balls and softly tapping it to her. She immediately was pulled within, Virgil adding the pokeball to his belt once it stopped shaking and moving back along his path, happy to have made another friend.

-  
The four of them did eventually each find their way to the Malasada shop, the brothers all sitting down and going over what they had done when they went off on their own.

“I got a bunch of stuff for all the fun camping we’re going to do! Oh! And…” Patton smiled wide, grabbing his noticeably stuffed backpack and pulling out the canteens he had purchased for them, handing the red, purple, and dark blue bottles over to them. Roman was eyeing his oldest brother’s bag and immediately reached for it, pulling into this lap and starting to load some of Patton’s purchases into his own bag. “…Ro, what are you doing?”

“Pat, you are not going to carry /everything./ I’m helping take some of the load off.” He shrugged. Virgil silently removed his bag from his back and passed it to Roman as well. Roman packed some of the blankets into Virgil’s bag and handed it back to him. Patton was going to interject, but he thought back to what their dad had told him just before he sent them off. He had to let his brothers protect him too.

“..Thanks, guys.” He smiled, looking back at them. As he took his bag back from Roman, he looked down at his belt and grabbed the pokeball containing his new Lillipup, holding it up and showing them all. “Oh! Did you all find the box of puppies?!” He asked excitedly.

“I did! What kind of Pokemon did you get? I got Furfrou! He’s gorgeous!” Roman said excitedly, holding up his pokeball.

“Lillipup! The absolute cuuuutest!” Patton squealed.

“I did as well, I selected Riolu. I thought the typing would be a welcome addition to my team.” Logan said, holding up his pokeball. They all slowly turned to Virgil who held up his Luxury ball.

“I picked Houndour.” He said simply. While Patton smiled fondly at his brother, Roman was transfixed on the pokeball itself.

“Whoa whoa whoa there, Hex Maniac. What kind of pokeball is that?” Roman asked, looking at the black ball.

“I went to a special pokeball shop and picked these up. They are Luxury Balls.. Supposed to be more comfortable for the Pokemon.” He explained with a small shrug.

“Awwww…. Virge that’s so sweet!” Patton cooed, looking at his now blushing brother. Roman just popped up out of his seat and walked over to his twin, grabbing him by his hoodie sleeve. Virgil looked up at him, a bit incredulously.

“Come on, I want to go get some cool Pokeballs too! You have to take me!” He said bouncing up on his toes slightly. Virgil just gave him a small smirk and began to stand, glancing back at Patton and Logan who also started getting up to come along.

Virgil led them all along to the shop, and with his boisterous brother right next to him, he definitely didn’t startle the shopkeeper this time. The shopkeeper looked up, smiling as he recognized Virgil and looking around at the others.

“Welcome back! Bring some friends with you?”

“We’re his brothers actually! And those pokeballs he bought are positively stunning! Do you have any others? Maybe in a… /Brighter/ color scheme?” Roman spoke excitedly, looking around the shop a bit. The shopkeeper looked over Roman for a moment before he turned and pulled out a drawer of pokeballs and held one up. It was pristine white, with a red stripe across the center.

“How about for you, the Premiere Ball? I also have pokeball seals, which can be placed on pokeballs for decoration.” He gestured to another case, full of what appeared to be stickers. Roman just nodded happily and moved to the case, viewing all of the seals. Patton stepped up, smiling wide and looking around the shop displays.

“Oh! What kind of pokeballs are those?” Patton asked, gesturing toward a display.

“Ah! These are Heal Balls!” He pulled down the pink and white pokeballs and showed them to Patton, who happily looked over them. Logan was surveying all of the options around him before he turned to look at the shopkeeper.

“Do pokeballs have different uses? Or are they predominantly about the way they look?” He asked, looking up at him curiously.

“They all have slightly different purposes actually, but a lot of trainers do just enjoy the look. But if I was going to recommend one to you, I’d suggest Ultra Balls. They have a higher catch rate than normal pokeballs.” He explained. Logan just nodded in response.

Eventually they managed to tear Roman away from the seals case, and the three of them all made purchases. Roman ended up with the Premiere balls, adorning each of them with a small golden star seal as well as getting seals for the pokeballs he already had. Patton chose the cute Heal Balls, and Logan the practical Ultra Balls. Virgil just watched quietly, waiting until all of his brothers had finished up and then giving another appreciative smile to the shopkeeper before leaving with them.

They made their way back to the Malasada shop, only pausing a moment at a table so Logan could lay out the large map he had purchased, showing them where they were and what road they’d be traveling on.

“So, we’re going to be heading up this route here. Heading away from the mall and up north, we should make it to the next big town after a few days of travel. I also took notes on the vegetation we should encounter and what berries we may find which are safe for either humans or Pokemon. In case the need arises.” He explained.

“We should be good on food for at least that long, but it is important to know what is and isn’t safe to eat! Good job, Lo.” Patton smiled, looking over Logan’s information.

“Yes! Most excellent work, Nerdoran! Now, if we have everything we need… Shall we actually get this journey on the road?” Roman exclaimed, looking over his brothers.

His question was met with a small chorus of agreement, the three of them looking back at him and nodding. Roman just spun on his heel with a smile and started to head toward the exit.

“Then let’s do this!”


	3. 3

The four of them made their way out the door and into the light of the afternoon sun. Before them laid an open path, grassy patches dotted with bushes and trees to the right, a dense forest to the left. They took a moment, taking in the landscape ahead of them. With collective glances and nods amongst themselves they began on their journey, walking ahead down the sunny path. Patton and Roman led the majority of the conversation, as was per usual, Virgil and Logan popping in from time to time to add onto the topic. They walked on until it was getting closer to the evening, the sun lower in the sky. Patton had spotted a nice patch of clear grass where they could set up for the night, a clearing next to the dense trees of the forest that Logan agreed seemed to be a safe area to settle for the night.

They began to settle, Roman and Virgil gathering sticks for the campfire while Patton started to unpack what he’d need to make them some dinner. Logan was looking over the map, deciphering where it was that they were. Once they had the fire going and there was a pot simmering over it containing their dinner, Patton piped up.

“Oh! You know what we should do? All our Pokemon haven’t been able to meet yet! We should bring them all out!” Patton smiled, clasping his hands together.

“Marvelous idea, Patton! You all must see my spectacular little beauties!” Roman responded, excitedly. He reached to his belt to grab his three pokeballs, summoning his Furfrou, Litleo, and his Eevee. They noticed that Roman’s Eevee was wearing a shiny gray pendant on a cord around his neck, but seeing as jewelry was one of Roman’s fortes, no one thought to comment on it.

“Very well, I don’t see any harm in the idea.” Logan nodded, also summoning his three Pokemon, the Riolu, Ralts, and Eevee appearing before him and looking around.

“Sure.” Virgil shrugged, grabbing the pokeballs at his belt and summoning Houndour, Mimikyu, and Eevee. The three slightly skittish Pokemon all stuck close to their trainer, peering around at the people and other Pokemon around them.

Patton just made a happy little cooing sound, summoning Lillipup, Happiny, and Eevee. The three of them seeming happy to be out and around the others.

The twelve Pokemon seemed interested, for the most part, in each other as they slowly converged together to see what sort of companions they had in their company. Virgil had to coax his out a bit, but all in all, it seemed that everything was going as smoothly as it could have been. At first.

“They are all so marvelous, aren’t they?! I must say, however, that /my/ team is the best, of course.” Roman boasted, beaming as he looked over his Pokemon.

Logan had been studying all of the Pokemon before him with the Pokedex, looking over what sort of teams his brothers had built so far. “Actually, Roman. If you are talking about variety, the most varied team of all our’s so far is actually Virgil’s. Speaking of advantages and battling… Virgil and his types would be able to defeat mine with relative ease, but my team would have no issues dispatching your’s.”

Roman looked completely affronted. “You think you could defeat me in a duel, pipsqueak?”

“With our current Pokemon teams? Without a shadow of a doubt.”

“Bring it on then!”

Patton and Virgil shared a glance, all of their Pokemon moving back to join them to watch the action as Logan and Roman made their way back to the road to begin their battle. Before he had gotten too far from their campsite, Logan tossed the Pokedex to Virgil, the information pulled up on Logan’s Riolu. The two older boys shared another glance before both of them looking down to see the information that Logan apparently wanted them to see.

Roman and Logan stood a decent ways apart from each other, their Pokemon lining up behind them to prepare to be called on. There was something about their teams that seemed to suit them, the Pokemon standing behind their young trainers somehow giving off the same feeling that the boys themselves did.

“Ready, brother?” Roman called, looking confident.

“More than ready.” Logan simply nodded, taking a moment to adjust his glasses before turning back to his Pokemon. “Riolu, if you wouldn’t mind. Please begin the battle.” He nodded to the small canine who nodded back and jumped in front of him.

“Choosing first, Lo? You are giving me the advantage!” Roman laughed.

“I have the advantage regardless, Roman. In fact, there is no harm in you backing down now.” Logan said, an unusual confidence coming through in his tone.

“Never!” Roman turned to his Pokemon. “Litleo! Let’s show them what we’ve got!” The small lion cub let out a confident sound of agreement and bounded forward.

“Let us begin, then! Riolu, Quick Attack!” Logan called, his Pokemon rushing forward to catch the Litleo off guard and tossing his body against the feline, sending Litleo stumbling to the side.

“You’re alright, Litleo! Get him back with Ember!”

“Riolu, use Quick Attack to dodge!”

Litleo shot a small ball of fire toward Riolu, but the fighting type used his speed and Logan’s quick thinking to dash off in another direction, dodging the hit.

“Perfect, Riolu! Now use Force Palm!”

Riolu once again dashed back toward the lion cub, rapidly throwing a hit, his palm flat and striking with the heel of his paw. Litleo immediately went stumbling to the ground, letting out a loud wince as she crumbled off her feet.   
“Litleo! Return!” Roman called, pointing her pokeball at her, the ball calling her back within. “Rest, friend. You fought well. Furfrou! You’re up next!” Roman called back as he clipped the ball to his belt. The poodle Pokemon bounded forward with a bark. “Furfrou, get Riolu with a Headbutt!”

“Riolu, try and dodge!”

Furfrou ran forward toward Riolu, charging headfirst into Riolu who almost managed to jump out of the way, but was just clipped by the attack by the Normal type and sent spinning off somewhat, but he landed on his feet.

“You’re ok, Riolu! Quick attack, throw him off his balance!”

“Furfrou, don’t let him get you, use Tackle!”   
  
Furfrou charged forward again, but Riolu had the advantage of speed and managed to throw his body into the poodle Pokemon and knocking him to the side, causing him to stumble.

“Riolu, Force Palm before he corrects himself!”

“Furfrou, try and dodge!”

Riolu threw the same palm strike, knocking Furfrou to the floor with a loud bark. The poodle did his best to stand, but was too worn from the hit, and Roman recalled him as well.

“You did well, Furfrou. Rest. Alright, Eevee! It’s all on you!”   
  
Eevee bounded forward, his shining gray necklace sparkling in the light of the setting sun.

“Riolu, we can do this, finish strong! Quick Attack!”

“Don’t let him get you, Eevee! Quick Attack!”

The two canines dashed toward each other, both trying to gain the advantage but neither was able to find an opening to strike, causing both to end in a stand off, looking back at each other and glancing to their trainers.

“Eevee, use Bite!”

“…Riolu, Counter!”

Riolu stood his ground, waiting as the Eevee rushed forward and leapt toward him, moving and blocking the attack, dealing the force that Eevee had tried to exert right back onto him two-fold. Eevee flew backward at the hit, landing hard but slowly rising back to his feet.

“You can do this, Eevee! You’re still in this! Tackle!”

“Riolu, finish this! Force Palm!”

Eevee was still regaining his bearings as Riolu swooped in again, delivering the same finishing blow that he had to Roman’s other two Pokemon. As Eevee flew back to the ground, Roman recalled him as well.

“How on Earth did you manage that?! With only one Pokemon, no less?!” Roman called to Logan, completely dumbfounded at how he had lost quite so easily to his youngest brother.

“…Virgil, would you mind playing the information that I handed you and Patton aloud so that Roman may hear it?” Logan called, looking back to Patton and Virgil at the campsite.

Virgil had a small smirk on his face as he clicked a button on the Pokedex in his hand. The device piped up with a small piece of information.

“Riolu: The Emanation Pokemon. Its body is little yet powerful. It can crest three mountains and cross two canyons in one night. Fighting type Pokemon. Weak to Flying, Psychic, and Fairy type. Super Effective against Dark, Ice, Steel, Rock, and Normal type.”

“You need to pay more attention to typing, Roman. All of your Pokemon share the Normal type. Which my Fighting type is strong against.” Logan explained, once against adjusting his glasses.

“How did you know that?” Roman asked, stepping forward to start walking back to their small campsite.

“Reading. It’s all in the Pokedex.” Logan shrugged, also heading back to join their brothers.

They sat back with Virgil and Patton, the two of them helping their brothers get their Pokemon healed up after the battle. Once they had gotten all the Pokemon taken care of, Roman shared some of the grooming supplies he had purchased with his brothers and they all sat around and listened to Logan explain some of what he had learned from studying the Pokedex. By the time dinner was ready, the majority of their Pokemon had shining coats and the three older boys felt they had a better of understanding of how important Pokemon types were.

They enjoyed their meal, still listening as Logan continued to explain a few more key points, as well as making sure all the Pokemon were fed. Things were winding down, Roman and Logan falling asleep fairly quickly after dinner. Patton had cleaned up from their meal and looked back at Virgil. He had made no move to get into his sleeping bag, he was just periodically stoking their campfire with a stick he had found, leaned up against the stump he had claimed as a backrest. His Eevee was curled in his lap, Virgil using his free hand to softly pet him.

“Are you alright, Virge? Do you want me to stay up with you a little longer?” Patton asked, looking over his anxious brother softly.

“Nah, don’t worry about me, Pat. Get some rest. No use in you losing sleep just because of my insomnia.” Virgil shrugged, nodding toward his elder brother’s sleeping bag as a way to silently encourage him to go to sleep.

“If you’re sure. Don’t hesitate to wake me if you need anything. Good night, Virgil.” Patton smiled, sliding into his sleeping bag and rolling over.

“Good night, Pat.” Virgil responded softly, waiting until he could hear his brother’s breathing even out before he let out a long sigh and went back to poking at the dying campfire.

It probably wouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone to find that Virgil wasn’t the most comfortable with the camping situation. He was already an insomniac, meaning he was going to end up spending a fair amount of time basically alone… Outside… In the dark… Virgil clutched his Eevee a little closer to his chest, holding him securely and still petting his soft fur to help calm himself. He didn’t exactly like to admit, especially taking his personal style and the general persona he liked to keep up into account, but he wasn’t the biggest fan of the dark. And by ‘wasn’t the biggest fan of’ he really meant ‘was moderately terrified by.’ At home he could play off that he had left his light on because he hadn’t expected to fall asleep at all. Or he had switched on the little fairy lights Patton had given him because the soft twinkling effect was calming to him. But here… What did he have once the campfire finally died out?

He stayed there, trying to stay calm, trying not to look like he was deliberately stoking the fire to keep it going, trying not to squeeze Eevee too hard as he felt his chest begin to tighten up, trying to keep his breathing from getting too fast and shallow. But the fire was dying. And once that happened, he’d be in the dark. Patton probably packed lanterns. He could look in his brother’s backpack and see if he could find one. Or he could wake Patton, he’d said it would be fine if he did. But what if he was just being polite? No. No, it was Patton. He meant it. Any of his brothers would be fine with him waking them. Logan would explain to him why he had nothing to worry about. Patton would probably pull him into a hug and tell him there was nothing wrong with being afraid. He’d comfort him either until the sun came up or Virgil actually managed to fall asleep. Roman would joke with him a bit, giving him a bit of a hard time, but he’d stay up with him.. He’d vow to protect him from anything that could possibly befall any of them. His brothers cared. They’d help him. He knew they would. All he had to do was say something, wake any or all of them, and things would improve. Definitely. Without a shadow of a doubt.

Virgil made absolutely no attempt to actually wake any of them, of course. That would be ludicrous. No, he’d just sit quietly and suffer for now. Maybe tomorrow he’d work up the courage to ask about the lantern. Or maybe they’d come across a town and he could just buy one himself. But as he snapped out of his slightly spiraling thoughts, he realized he hadn’t been stoking the fire. It was finally on the brink of death. He hurriedly began to poke at it again, but it was at the end. There was no bringing it back at this point. He just clenched his eyes shut, his Eevee leaning into his chest to try and help comfort him as he tried to control his breathing. He stayed that way a few long moments before he felt Eevee stir, the Pokemon making a quiet sound to get his attention.

The anxious teen opened his eyes, looking down at Eevee before following the Pokemon’s gaze off to the side of them and seeing a small light approaching them from the woods. Virgil was instantly fearful but he only froze as it continued to grow nearer, his Eevee standing up on his lap as he eyed the light source cautiously. It grew closer and closer, only a few more moments passing before they could make out a small Pokemon poking out of the woods from between the trees. Virgil watched carefully, realizing the Pokemon emitting the soft light looked to be a candle, the purple flame atop it’s head being the source of light.

The Pokemon slowly made her way up to Virgil, stopping near him and looking up at him with a small smile. Virgil looked over the Pokemon softly, gently smiling back. He glanced around, seeing the Pokedex sticking out of Logan’s bag and leaning over to grab it. He pointed it at the candle Pokemon, making sure the sound on the device was shut off, and read the information that appeared on the screen.

“…Litwick?” Virgil asked, looking away from the Pokedex down at the Pokemon. The Litwick smiled wide, waving her tiny arms at him happily. Virgil couldn’t help but smile at the small candle. “…Did you want to stay here with us?”

The little Pokemon jumped up to rest on his knee, bouncing up and down slightly, the light atop her head illuminating the campsite enough to allow Virgil to be able to comfortably see the sleeping forms of his brothers, which definitely helped him feel a little more at ease. Virgil let out a long breath, feeling his stress melt away slightly as he adjusted to the soft light. He let himself slide down the stump he was leaning on a bit more, getting more comfortable.

Logan awoke bright and early the next morning, looking over to see Virgil had fallen asleep at some point with Eevee curled up in his lap and Litwick cuddled into his side, his arms around both of them. The younger boy spotted the Pokedex laying there next to his sleeping brother and picked it up, reading the information about the still snoozing candle.

Patton and Roman were also up not too much later, smiling over their anxious brother and his new friend as they quietly sat together and Patton began preparing breakfast. They silently decided to let Virgil sleep until the food was ready, him sitting up and looking across them a bit groggily as he took in his surroundings and remembered what was going on once he had been awakened.

“Good morning, Virgil! Did you end up sleeping alright?” Patton asked softly, preparing the plates.

“Hmm?” He answered, looking down to see his arms wrapped around Eevee and Litwick. “Oh… I.. I did. Litwick came and sat with me and Eevee.” He said before focusing down on the little candle. “Thank you, Litwick. Did you.. Did you have somewhere to get back to? Or.. Did you want to stay here with us?” He asked softly.

The small candle bounced a few times, smiling wide up at Virgil before moving forward to nestle against him and give him the best hug she possibly could with her tiny arms. Virgil gave her a small smile and pulled out a Luxury Ball.

“Are you sure?” He asked, making sure to wait until she pulled away to look at him and she definitely saw the ball first. She nodded and hopped again looking up at the pokeball in his hand. He softly tapped the ball against her, her being pulled with in and it only shaking once before it stilled and he was able to clip it to his belt.

His brothers looked back at him with soft smiles, Virgil noticing the looks and glancing away with an embarrassed flush to his cheeks. Breakfast then actually began, Patton passing around the plates and all of them sitting quietly and focusing on eating for a few minutes before the relative silence was broken.

“So, kiddos! That battle last night sure looked like a lot of fun! Maybe we should have another this morning before we head out again!” Patton smiled, looking across his brothers. Logan’s mouth twitched up in a small smirk while a fiery determination was immediately shining in Roman’s eyes.

“I’d happily participate, Patton.” Logan said, just a hint of smugness in his voice.

“Same here! My team and I are eager to show more of what we can do!” Roman added, dramatically clenching his fists and shaking them in a very confident way, obviously eager to prove himself.

“I don’t know that a rematch is exactly in order…” Virgil added, a small chuckle on his lips as his twin shot him a look.

“How about we try out a double battle then? That way we can battle all together!” He smiled, clasping his hands.

“…I suppose I shall fight alongside Logan then.” Roman said, crossing his arms indignantly.

Logan wanted to comment that Roman was only choosing him because he obviously didn’t want to face him again, but in a Patton-like attempt to keep the peace, he decided against it and simply nodded in agreement. “That is fine with me.”

“Would you be willing to battle with me then, Virge?” Patton turned to him with a smile.

“Sure thing, Pat. I’d be happy to.” He nodded, moving to grab his pokeballs and summon his companions. Once all four of them were sitting before him, Roman piped up.

“Hey wait! Gothitelle over here has one more Pokemon than the rest of us!” He pointed out, gesturing toward his twin’s team of four.

“I’m sure one of them would be willing to sit out, I’m not trying to cheat, Jigglypuff.” Virgil rolled his eyes before looking down at his Pokemon. “Do you any of you not want to do a battle? If you don-“ Virgil was cut off by Mimikyu immediately rushing around him and hiding behind his back, pressing himself against his trainer. “…Alright. Are the other three of you ok with having a battle?” He looked down at the remaining three who all gave various forms of agreement. “Mimikyu it’s ok, you don’t have to battle if you don’t want to. It’s alright.” He said softly, turning to pull his nervous Pokemon into his arms. The small disguise-clad Pokemon seemed relieved, nodding quickly and leaning into Virgil’s arms thankfully.

The other three watched the exchange between Virgil and his Pokemon, all moving to summon their own and explain they’d be battling. None of the Pokemon had any kind of objection, especially once Roman mentioned to his team that they’d be battling with Logan and not against him this time, and they all moved to go back to the road so they had ample room for the battle.

Patton and Virgil looked over one another’s teams momentarily before looking up nodding back to each other. Logan and Roman eyed each other a bit warily, both looking across at their older brothers and sizing up the teams they’d be fighting with.

“Riolu. Please begin for me.” Logan said firmly, watching as the canine nodded and ran in front of him to prepare to start the battle.

“Eevee, you’re up!” Roman added, a confident smirk on his face as Eevee ran forward.

“Litwick, would you care to start?” Virgil gave a small smile to the excitable candle as she moved into position.

“Let’s do this, Happiny!” Patton said, smiling as the small pink egg-like Pokemon rushed forward.

“Let’s not waste time! Eevee, Quick Attack on Happiny!”

“Litwick, block Happiny!”

Roman’s Eevee darted forward, rushing right toward the small pink Pokemon. But Litwick leapt to the side and intercepted the hit, causing the canine to bounce right off the candle’s body and fall the ground, crying out as it felt a burn across its body where it came in contact with Litwick. The candle stood its ground, not seeming like it even felt anything at all from the hit.

“You’re ok, Eevee! You’ve got this!”

“Riolu, Foresight on Litwick!”

“Happiny! Use Sweet Kiss on Riolu!”

“Litwick, attack Eevee with Smog!”

As Riolu began to focus on Litwick to get a better idea on how to attack her, Happiny rushed forward on her tiny legs and pressed an adorably loving kiss to the small blue dog’s cheek. The canine was completely thrown off and was suddenly looking around in absolute confusion. Litwick unleashed a cloud of purple smoke, surrounding the foxlike normal type in the gas as he continued to try and stand. He coughed a few times and swayed, falling to the floor once again, too dazed to continue.

“Eevee, return!” Roman called, holding out his Pokeball as Eevee was pulled back in it in a flash of red light. “Go ahead Furfrou!”

“Litwick, Fire Spin on Riolu!”

“Happiny, Charm on Furfrou!”

“Riolu, snap out of it and use Quick Attack to get out of there!”

Happiny turned and moved away from the confused Riolu, rushing closer to Furfrou and  giving it adorable look, causing Furfrou to look upon her much less harshly. Once Happiny moved, Litwick unleashed her fire attack on Riolu who tried to dash away, but in his confusion tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground hard before being trapped in the vortex of flame. The overall look of of befuddlement on Riolu’s face caused Logan to withdraw his Pokemon as well.

“You did well, Riolu. Ralts, you up are up next!” Logan nodded to the small psychic type who walked into the fray. “Use Confusion on Litwick!”

“Litwick, Smog back on Ralts!”

“Happiny, Pound!”

“Furfrou, Headbutt!”

Ralts and Litwick both used their attacks, Litwick getting knocked back with the Confusion attack and the smoke wrapping around Ralts. But as Ralts cried out from the effect of the poison in the smoke, Litwick cried out as well.

“What?” Virgil called, watching as his Pokemon seemed to be both poisoned and confused.

“Ralts has the ability Synchronize. It copies effects like Poison onto the Pokemon that inflicted it. Now Ralts, finish Litwick with Disarming Voice!”

As Litwick stumbled in her confusion, Ralts let out a cry that seemed directly targeted to the candle, causing her to fall to the ground, too weak to continue. Just behind them, Furfrou and Happiny were still going at it, the two of them whacking each other back and forth with their simple physical attacks. It seemed like Furfrou would have had the advantage, based mostly on size, but the two traded attacks until it was actually the larger Pokemon that grew too tired to continue. Happiny was breathing hard, but she was still holding out as both Roman and Virgil called their Pokemon back.

“Alright, Litleo! You can do this!”

“Houndour, you’re up next.”

The two small fire types bounded in, looking around to survey their surroundings.

“Ralts, use Confusion on Happiny!”

“Look out, Happiny!”

“Litleo get Houndour with a Tackle!”

“Houndour, dodge and use Bite!”

Happiny was already tired, her movement too sluggish and ultimately just not enough to get away from Ralts’s attack. As she was hit, she fell over on her side, too tired to go on. Patton immediately recalled her to her ball and away from the fight. The two fire types rushed each other, managing to snag the other in their attack and bounce away from each other.

“Lillipup, come on out!” Patton smiled, watching his tiny dog Pokemon bound forward.

“Litleo, use Ember on Lillipup!”

“Houndour, block Lillipup!”

Houndour rushed forward, diving infront of Lillipup and absorbing Litleo’s fire attack. Houndour just absorbed the small flame, reacting as if the flame attack had somehow made her even stronger and more prepared to continue to fight on.

“Perfect! Now Houndour, use Ember on Ralts!

“Lillipup, use Helping Hand on Houndour!”

Lillipup gave several happy yips, as if he was cheering on the other Pokemon, Houndour looking even more fired up as she drew in a huge breath and shot a fireball at Ralts, the psychic type unable to get away and she crumbled to the ground upon impact, letting out a little yelp.

“Ralts, return! Alright, Eevee, you’re up.” Logan called, his Eevee running in as his Ralts returned to her ball.

“We’ve almost won, Houndour, Bite Litleo!”

“Don’t let her get you, Litleo! Tackle!”

“Eevee, use Quick Attack on Houndour!”

The three Pokemon were all rushing toward each other, Eevee and Litleo closing in on either side of Houndour.

“Houndour! Duck!” Virgil suddenly called, watching as he could easily tell that the three were going to collide.

The small black dog immediately obeyed, dropping down to the ground and watching as the other two Pokemon smashed directly into each other rather than hitting their intended target.

“Now Houndour! Finish off Litleo with Bite!”

“Lillipup, Take Down on Eevee!”

The two dogs rushed toward the two other Pokemon, both still recovering from the collision caused by lack of planning. They were both thrown off even more as they were hit again, getting knocked off their feet to the ground, both seeming dazed and confused.

“…I say we call it there, do we all agree?” Logan called, reaching for Eevee’s ball.

“…Yes, I suppose this would be as good a time as any.” Roman agreed, obviously not happy about his second consecutive loss.

“We did it, Virgie!” Patton smiled, moving to throw his hands around his brother and pull him in for a hug.

“We sure did, Pat.” Virgil smirked, softly bringing up his hands to hug his brother back before shooting a side glance to his other two brothers. “But then again, teamwork works wonders, doesn’t it?” He smirked, watching his two brothers give him indignant faces before going back to focusing on literally anything besides each other or Virgil.

“Yeah! Alright everyone! Let’s get these little friends of ours all healed up!” Patton smiled, turning to move back to their campsite and gesturing for them all to come as well.

They all followed after him, settling back in the spots they had slept in the night before. They each pulled out their Pokemon, Virgil passing out Antidotes, Burn Heals, and any other specific medicines that they needed. They each had a fair amount of potions on them, and Roman had given them all their own brushes and combs, so they all sat for a while and chatted as they healed up their Pokemon and made sure they were all feeling alright after their battle.

After all was said and done, the Pokemon healed, happy, and brushed, the bags packed, the campsite cleaned up… It was time to head off again to continue their journey. They set off once more, the four brothers thinking about how so much had changed over the last 48 hours. Only one night ago, they had slept at home in their beds. Only two nights ago, they didn’t know they were going on this journey together, they didn’t even have any Pokemon of their own yet. But today… Today they were four brothers off on their journey to find their destiny, each with at least three of their own Pokemon, and it was their first entire day of being completely on their own.

Patton greeted the morning with optimism, as was his way, knowing that as long as they four of them stuck together, they would undoubtedly be able to face anything they came across. He was going to be the big brother they needed him to be. He was going to be strong and he was going to look out for them. He’d be there if they needed moral support.. If they needed a hug, a shoulder to cry on, he would be what they needed. Patton looked down at his Eevee, having elected to carry her in his arms, smiling down at his happy Pokemon and giving her a soft squeeze of a hug. He could do this.

Virgil was a bit wary, but feeling better than he had thought he would at this point. He knew his brothers had his back… He knew he could count on his Pokemon.. He wasn’t alone. No matter what, things were going to be alright. He had to do this for them… And for himself, he was slowly forcing himself to realize. As much as he knew he wanted to look after his brothers and protect them… He had to remember this was also about him. He was here to discover his calling just as much as they were. He took a deep breath and looked ahead, trying to keep calm, trying to remember what this was all about. He could do this.

Roman couldn’t wait to continue on their journey. Somewhere down the path they traveled upon was his destiny and he wanted nothing more than to find it alongside his brothers. To discover their individual callings and support each other in every way that they could. He was going to be the best that he could be, and was going to help his brothers do the same. He had admitted to himself, silently and privately, that he did have some areas that needed work. He wasn’t as smart as Logan… Who knew he’d be able to defeat him in a Pokemon battle before they even began. And he lacked the teamwork that Patton and Virgil so easily fell into. But he vowed to work on it. He was going to be the best version of himself that he could be. And that was what really mattered. He could do this.

Logan had begun this leg of the trek with his nose where everyone expected it to be. In a book. He had written notes on the landscape, on the possibilities, and had mapped out things they should investigate as they went. He was eager to learn and eager to discover, curious about what lie ahead of them. He knew he had things he needed to work on… That double battle had shown him that he and Roman had definitely synchronization issues, to put it lightly. But he also knew that they’d be able to work on that. That spending all this time together would lead to a certain harmony and routine amongst them that was sure to only strengthen as the time went by. Logan ended up sliding his notebook back in the side pocket of his bag, pulling out the map once more to see where they were off to. After reconfirming he knew the way, he put it away again and walked on, his shoulders back and his head held high. He could do this.

While the four of them were each somewhat off in their own thoughts, considering their own priorities and focusing on what they each found most pressing, they all knew that one thing was for absolutely certain. They had a lot to learn and this was going to be a hands on experience like never before. Their teachers would be the journey, the land, the Pokemon, and even each other. They walked off down the road, ready to see what was in store. Ready to discover what destinies awaited them. Knowing that no matter what they encountered, they’d face it together, and together, nothing could stop them.


End file.
